No. 61. — 1908.] PORTUGUESE IN CEYLON. 



97 



who used to arrange for and supervise the fishery, and the 

 bishop of Cochin ; a reconciliation between these was also 

 earnestly recommended. It was, however, pointed out to the 

 king that the same experiment had been attempted by the 

 viceroy Don Constantino,* and later by Ayres de Saldanha, 

 and that they had both found it impossible to obtain the 

 hearty co-operation of the Patangatins, who were the head- 

 men of the people. To please the king they were, however, 

 willing to send an experimental colony of a few thousand souls , 

 but at the same time it was represented that Negombo was 

 not a desirable centre if the colony was expected to be of assist- 

 ance in the pearl fishery. No farther steps appear to have 

 been taken in the matter. 



At the end of 1612 Don Hieronymo left for India as viceroy, 

 his place being temporarily filled up by Don Francisco de 

 Meneses Roxo. Nothing was attempted by this incompetent 

 officer save a short incursion within the enemy's country in 

 March of the following year ; his withdrawal was followed by 

 the loss of the fort of Balane, which was attacked and destroyed 

 by the Sinhalese in Holy Week. This was a source of the 

 profoundest irritation to the king, aggravated by the subse- 

 quent negligence of the general ; for in August, shortly 

 after the death of the queen of Candia, her daughter and her 

 husband had advanced to within half a league of Balane in 

 an attempt to escape to the Portuguese, when the absence of 

 an army in the field enabled the Sinhalese lascorins to arrest 

 her with her treasure and take her back to their king. The 

 complaints against the general were so grave that in May, 

 1614, the new viceroy was obliged to send Manuel Mas- 

 carenhas Ho mem* to relieve him of his charge, and at the same 

 time instructions were received from the king to place him on 

 his trial. He was accused of being more interested in trading 

 with the enemy, bartering cloth and opium for their coconut 

 and pepper, than in waging war against them. In the Four 

 and Seven Korales the dissava Luiz Pinto, a Portuguese, was 

 doing the same in partnership with the general, and another 

 Portuguese, LuizCabaral, in Sabaragamuwa and the Kuruwiti 



* De Couto, Decade VII. ; Ribeiro, p. 34. 



